House Republican leaders intervened on Friday to prevent a vote on immigration legislation next week, dealing a severe blow to election-year efforts to overhaul the widely denigrated system.

The move came as a Republican congressman from California announced plans to try to force a vote, over strong conservative opposition, on his measure creating a path to citizenship for immigrants living here illegally who serve in the military.

Representative Jeff Denham called his bill the Enlist Act, and said he would seek a vote next week as an amendment to the annual defence bill, the National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA).

In response, Doug Heye, spokesman for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, said: "No proposed Enlist amendments to NDAA will be made in order."

Heye said no stand-alone vote on the measure would be permitted either.

It was the latest setback for President Barack Obama's efforts to move comprehensive immigration legislation through Congress and boost border security, remake legal worker programmes and offer legal status to the estimated 11.5 million people now living in the US illegally.

The Senate passed an immigration bill last year, but it has been stalled in the GOP-led House.

Denham's measure was widely popular and seen as perhaps the likeliest area for progress.

In recent weeks, prominent conservative groups including the Heritage Foundation announced their opposition.

Cantor himself faces a primary challenge in Virginia on 10 June, from a Tea Party opponent who has criticised the majority leader for not being conservative enough and accused him of supporting amnesty for immigrants living here illegally.